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sugo per pasta

My kitchen is filled with that pasta smell from my childhood & the air is just waiting to explode. I have been in India just before Monsoon and this feels the same. Even the cat is lying flat on the floor and I sometimes check if he is breathing. Start raining please..NOW!

Back to the sugo.

The best way to eat this, is to cook the pasta, add the sauce AND then reheat it in a frying pan with olive oil! I even cook the pasta and mix it with the sugo the day before I actually want to eat it. That way cooking lunch only consists in “reheating”. Trust me & try it. I also like to use whole grain spelt pasta and put a couple of hands full of roquette salad on top.

On my shopping list for this family recipe:

1 big onion

1 chilli

4 gloves of garlic

2 carrots

1 leek

olives (optional)

1kg of peeled tomatoes

1l of unflavored tomato sauce

1 small glass of tomato paste

1/4 l of red wine

fresh rosemary and sage (if not possible dried will have to do)

cayenne pepper (1 reaspoon) , salt & pepper (to taste)

This makes a good amount and it is destined to be portioned and frozen for instant deliciousness.

Take a large cooking pot and heat some olive oil on medium heat (you know that heat can turn this lovely oil from healthy to toxic, so if you don’t trust the temperature choose ghee which has a higher smoking point, meaning it can take more heat)

Start with the diced onions, then add all the other washed and dices vegetables. Let them get some heat without taking any color. We say let them “sweat”. Add the wine & cook until the alcohol smell has completely vanished. This looks and smells amazing. Add all the tomato varieties & the cayenne pepper, sage (this is “blue” sage), rosemary, salt & pepper.

It doesn’t matter how big or small you cut your vegetables since you will bring this to a boil, turn the heat down and let it cook on medium to low heat for 2 hours. Your veggies will be cooked;) How chunky you want your tomato sauce is up to you;)

(There is a brilliant talk about the chunkyness of tomato sauce on TED that comes to mind;)

Use immediately or portion and freeze.

It’s the BEST!

Remember to cook your pasta al dente, so your body has more work to break it down, starting with the chewing and will release the sugar (from the starch) more slowly into your blood stream. I just love how cooking styles & traditions often have a clever health reason!